Oathkeeper
by S-a-r-a-h-D-x3
Summary: Sora and Riku return to the Destiny Islands, and Sora and Kairi find themselves growing closer and closer. What will happen when their true feelings come out? Begins at the end of KH2. [SoraKairi]
1. Ch 1

Hey, it's Sarah. This story takes place right at the very end of Kingdom Hearts II. It's just something that I came up with, and while I never play video games, I played this one just to find out what would happen in the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

**Oathkeeper**

"W-we're back." His voice was as sweet as ever. There was a certain shyness to it, but it was full of emotion at the same time. It was the first thing he said to her, and he was trying to fight his nerves. Donald and Goofy were at his side, smiling at seeing Sora once again. His light-brown hair was drenched, and he was kneeling in the middle of the crashing waves. His clothes were dripping, but he didn't even care. His intense blue eyes matched the color of the gleaming sea, and they seemed to plunge into her heart, and she was full of joy. He fished the keychain that Kairi had given to him so long ago out of his pocket, and showed it to her. It gleamed in the light, and projected beautiful colors across it. He had kept his promise.

"You're home." Kairi replied sweetly with an honest smile. Nothing mattered as long as Sora was back. She offered her hand to help him up, and he accepted, with the Oathkeeper still in his hand. She pulled him up and embraced him. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, inhaling his scent. This caught Sora by surprise, but he eventually wrapped his arms around her, too. They stood there for a minute, enjoying the moment. The sun was setting on the horizon, and beautiful colors clouded the sky. Riku interrupted the moment, and cleared his throat. Sora looked up at him and smiled. Sora and Kairi's arms slowly unraveled, and their attention was turned to Riku.

"It's good to be home," Riku exhaled. He took in the salty scent of the ocean. His long silver hair flew in and out of his face while he spoke. Only the King could tell that his heart was full of shame. He had turned to the darkness, but now he lingered in the light. He was scared of facing everyone after the actions he had taken. "It's been way too long." King Mickey was at his side, studying the emotions that projected across his face. He sensed what Riku was feeling.

"I know," Sora nodded in agreement. "Almost two years have passed by, and every second I was imagining what this day would be like." A wave of relief washed over him, similar to the waves gently tugging at his feet. He was home.

"I've missed this place a lot, too," Kairi replied, which left quizzical looks on Sora, Donald, and Goofy's faces. "It hasn't been the same without you two here. Now that you're back, everything can return to the way it was." Kairi said quietly. "It felt… empty. You know?"

"Yes, I do." Sora replied. He sounded truthful and open. "It's how I felt when I lost you both. That night... when the storm came." It was the night when he first received the keyblade. The night when he found out that his life was far from ordinary. That weapon brought both excitement and sorrow to him; even though he was always on adventures, it had taken him away from his home.

"Well," King Mickey's voice sounded over the crashing waves. "I think it's time for us to head back to the castle." Sora realized that this meant he would have to be separated from Donald and Goofy for the first time since the start of his journey. What would it be like without them there to comfort him or to cheer him up?

"So soon?" Donald asked. He looked sad, like he couldn't stand the thought of being away from Sora. After all, they had been inseparable for about two years.

"Yes, I have some important research to do." King Mickey winked at Sora. "Goodbye Sora, Riku, and Kairi. I believe we will be seeing each other soon." Donald threw himself at Sora, hugging him tightly. Sora fell against the warm sand with a soft thump. Goofy joined them, embracing Sora with all of his might.

"Bye Sora!" Goofy sniffled. Donald looked at Sora through wet eyes.

"Hey, don't worry." Sora assured the two. "We're a team. I'm sure we'll see each other soon- I need you guys!"

"Sora, I'm sure gonna miss ya!" Goofy cried out softly. Sora returned his feelings, but tried not to show it too much. He had to be strong for them.

"I'll miss you too, but our adventure isn't over," Sora explained. "It won't be long before we see each other again."

"Goodbye Sora!" Donald screeched. "Please come to visit!"

"Bye!" Riku and Kairi said together, waving into the distance as Mickey, Donald, and Goofy boarded the Gummi Ship and took off. A lonesome tear left Sora's sapphire eyes and fell to the sand, leaving a small dark spot. He quickly wiped his eyes before anyone could notice.

"Well, it looks like we're back where we started." Riku said with a laugh. "Well, I'm gonna catch up with some of the others, so I'll leave you two alone. I should check in with my family. Good night."

"Good night." Kairi replied. Sora smiled at her. It was such a reassuring smile, and it was so welcoming, so kind. Sora then remembered- he hadn't seen his mother for two years. Was she worried? Most likely she was devastated. She had no idea what kind of journeys that he had been on.

"Kairi," Sora reached out his arm and lightly rested it on her shoulder. "You know that I would love to catch up with you, but I haven't seen my family..."

"I understand," Kairi looked down at the ground. "You know where to find me, in case you want to talk."

"Right." Sora grinned at her with pure joy. Kairi was always so forgiving and understanding.

* * *

Sora's bare feet slapped the cold sand as he ran across the beach. The sunset was almost gone now, and the stars were beginning to appear. His heart raced as he ran past the docks to the shore. The memory of the events that had previously occurred flashed through his mind. 

"_Sora? Is it really you?" _

His mother was in disbelief. It was only moments later that he realized he couldn't tell her where he'd been, or at least not any time soon. She would be worried, and most likely wouldn't allow him to go visit other worlds again, but he needed to. He was the one that the keyblade had chosen, and all of the worlds needed him.

"_Where have you been, Sora!?" _

He had just stared at her. He could feel his steady heart beat in his chest. He couldn't think of what to say next.

"_I-I don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry."_

It was all he could gather to say. It was true; he _didn't_ want to talk about it. He _couldn't_ talk about it.

"_When you're ready to talk, I'll listen."_

She was so understanding. She knew just when to back off. They sat and talked for a while. She went on about how much she had missed him. She told him stories that had happened while he was away. He could see in her eyes that she was truly happy.

Sora's mind came back to the present, and he focused on getting to the beach. Kairi was sitting with her feet slightly in the water; her auburn hair was blowing softly in the wind. Sora approached her quietly, and suddenly plopped down next to her in the sand.

"So, what have I missed?" Sora asked. The surprise of Sora's appearance made Kairi jump.

"Nothing, really," Kairi drifted off. "It's been boring with you gone. You've had greater adventures than what's happened here." Sora nodded, knowing that this was true. He had dreamed of going on adventures much like the ones he had recently been on, but it seemed unreal that it had all came true.

"Hey, do you remember when we built that raft to see other worlds?" Sora said with a laugh. "We were so excited. We thought that raft could take us anywhere." That raft was destroyed on the night of the storm, and the only remains were a few pieces of wood, here and there. Sora silently wondered what life would be like if the door to other worlds had never opened in the " Secret Place," and if they had took the raft out to sea.

"Turns out, we didn't even need the raft." Kairi smiled, and then looked down at the ground with a lonely look in her eye. Sora felt that something was wrong. He had known Kairi ever since he was little, and he knew when she was upset.

"Kairi, what's wrong?" Sora asked, sensing sadness in her normally energetic voice.

"Oh, it's nothing…" she responded, trying to cover up her sadness with a false smile.

"Kairi… you know that you can tell me anything, right?" Sora said softly, putting his hand on hers, until their fingers intertwined. "No matter what, I'm here for you."

"I know, it's just that…" she started to speak, and a small tear fell from her sparkling gray-blue eyes. "… I was just thinking that we missed out on a whole two years that we could've been spent together. I was so worried about you, Sora. You have no idea how scared I was. I was so scared that you were hurt- or worse." Sora put his arms around her, and she buried her face into his chest.

"It's okay, Kairi…" he whispered into her ear. "I'm here, I'm okay. You know that I won't go down easily." She pulled away from his grasp.

"That's true." She giggled softly, with her happiness regained.

"Kairi, I was also so worried that something would happen to you," Sora admitted with a bothered look on his face. "When I heard that Axel kidnapped you, I was so scared." As he spoke, Kairi looked up at Sora through her long eyelashes. "Kairi, if anything ever happened to you, I could never forgive myself." The sound of this made Kairi smile, and she gently rested her head on Sora's shoulder.

"You know, everyday can be like this now that you're back." Kairi said while watching the last bit of sun disappear.

"Yeah," Sora said with a dazed look on his face. "I can't believe that I'm actually back home."

"Just like you promised," Kairi turned her head to face Sora, who met her gaze.

"I could never break a promise to you," Sora stood back up and took in the relaxing ocean breeze. "You know that, Kairi." Kairi laid down right next to him, and her deep red hair fanned out over the sand.

"I just wished that I would have known that sooner," Kairi sighed and stood up to join him. "Then I wouldn't have spent so much time worrying that I had lost you…"

"You know, you should never have come to find me." Sora said in a more serious tone. "It was dangerous."

"I know," Kairi said with a saddened voice. "I'm sorry; it's just that I wasn't sure that you were coming back. I thought something had happened to you, and I just couldn't wait any longer. I should've had more faith in you."

"You put me through a lot of trouble, trying to save you." Sora chuckled. He meant it, but the way he said it was jokingly.

"So you're saying that it wasn't worth it?" Kairi jokingly pushed Sora from behind, who fell forward into the water. Kairi's jaw dropped at what she had accidentally done. "Sora! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"

Kairi's apologies were interrupted when Sora leapt out of the water and hugged her, getting her all wet. "Sora!" she cried, and tried to push him away, laughing. He took her down into the water with him, and they rolled around, Kairi struggling to break free. The water was freezing, but the warmth of Sora's body made it somewhat bearable.

"That's what you get!" Sora giggled, holding her tightly so that she couldn't escape his grasp. The sun was down, and the only light was from the stars. Kairi shivered from beneath Sora's arms, as they lay in the crushing waves. Sora finally released her, but she remained close to him.

There was a moment of silence, and Sora and Kairi just gazed at the stars in the sky. He had traveled past these stars many times, but now they seemed so far away and out of reach.

"Hey, Sora?" Kairi sat up abruptly to look him in the eye.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember the night of the storm, before the storm, when I told you not to ever change?"

"Of course," Sora couldn't forget it if he tried. "It was the last time I spoke to you before I went away." On his journey, it replayed several times in his head. It was what he used to remember her and her voice.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't change." Kairi glanced towards him, so that their noses were almost touching. "You're still the same as the day you left."

"Thanks," Sora replied, while standing up. Water dripped down his soaking clothes. He reached out his hand to help her up, and they made their way out of the water. They laid themselves down on dry sand, which stuck to their wet bodies. Sora scooted close to her. There was a comforting silence, and they laid there until their clothes were dry. Things were finally back to normal. Sora had no more worries. The pleasant sound of waves on the shore and the distant twinkle of the stars in the night sky slowly drifted them off to sleep.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't worry, they'll be plenty more! Make sure to comment, so I know what to fix for next time! Thank you! 


	2. Ch 2

Hey, it's Sarah again. I would just like to thank everyone for their nice reviews! Thank you so much! Well, sorry if it took a little while for me to update, but I wanted it to be perfect. Well, here it is!

**Oathkeeper- Chapter 2**

A massive wave pounded on the shore, swallowing both Sora and Kairi. Sora immediately sprang up, coughing. Kairi rubbed her eyes, confused as to where she was. Sora looked at her and realized that they were still at the beach.

"Kairi?" Sora's voice was hoarse from just waking up. He turned his torso to face Kairi, who was squinting at the intense sunlight being projected onto her face.

"What? What is it?" She mumbled tiredly. She finally opened her eyes widely and took a glance at Sora. The memory of last night all came flooding back.

"Kairi, we fell asleep here last night," Sora's voice sounded troubled. "Everyone is probably wondering where we are." He jumped to his feet, and sand started to drift off of his clothes.

"Oh, no…" Kairi said. She knew how Sora's mother could get, and especially after him already being gone for two years, she must be worried sick. "C'mon!" She grabbed Sora by the wrist, pulling him forward. His scent was salty, but then again he had spent the whole night sleeping on the beach.

* * *

The two left Sora's house feeling relieved. His mom knew that he couldn't have been far, and there was no misunderstanding. "Well, we have the whole day to do whatever we want," Sora began. "So, what do you want to do?" He smiled at her, awaiting her answer.

"Let's go get Riku!" She replied instantaneously. Sora's heart sank. As much as he loved spending time with his best friend Riku, he really wanted to spend the day alone with Kairi. They walked over to Riku's house, and he came out, yawning.

"Do you know what time it is? It's seven o'clock!" Riku looked irritated. His frustrated look turned into a smirk, and he stepped outside the door. "Let's go swimming."

* * *

The day was slowly coming to an end. Once again, the sun was starting to set over the small island. The three had spent their day swimming in a small pond where a beautiful waterfall poured over a cliff. It was getting chilly, so they finally decided that enough was enough. Kairi and Sora walked Riku back to his house. His parents wanted him home for dinner; they were a lot stricter than Sora's mother. Sora's mom knew that he had to catch up with his friends, and she understood that he just wanted to have fun. A soft ocean breeze flew by, rustling the leaves of the palm trees.

"Well, I should be getting back, too." Kairi's soft voice broke the silence. "I'll see you later, okay?" The sound of this made Sora sadden. He loved her company.

"Okay, bye Kairi." She walked away, and slowly disappeared in the distance; leaving Sora was all alone with nothing to do. He walked over by the waterfall where he, Riku, and Kairi had been swimming just hours ago. He walked along the pond, until he came to a bunch of trees and branches concealing something, The Secret Place. He slowly pulled away the branches, revealing a passageway. He cautiously worked his way through the darkness. He stood by himself, observing the drawings that he and Kairi had made when they were little. He looked to the spot where he and Kairi had drawn each other's faces. Below it was the drawing of his hand giving Kairi a paupo fruit, which he had drawn before the storm came. However, next to it, there was a drawing of her giving him a paupo fruit as well. He walked over to it, running his fingers over it. She had drawn this. A grin emerged on his face.

Sora sat on the dented paupo tree, on the island where he and Riku always use to sword fight. He stared off into the sunset, wondering what all his other friends on other worlds were doing at the moment. He held a paupo fruit in his hand, and he fiddled with the stem at the very top. Its bright yellow color gleamed. It was still fresh; he had picked it just minutes ago.

"Hey!" Kairi's voice called out from the distance. She made her way over to the tree which Sora was sitting on, and took a seat next to him. "What's that?" She motioned to the object he was holding. It was slightly covered by his hand, making it barely visible.

"It's a paupo fruit." Sora held it up for her to see. There was an awkward silence, where the two both remembered the drawings in the cave.

"Oh," Kairi said eventually. "Like the one's we drew in..." She stopped there and looked to Sora.

"Yeah," Sora started, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "The cave…" They stared at each other for a moment, and then turned away.

"You know the story... right?" Kairi asked, just to make sure that he understood.

"Yeah," Sora was getting nervous. He had butterflies in his stomach. "That's exactly why I drew it… The people who share one will be in each other's lives forever."

"I've always wanted to try it..." Kairi began. She stopped herself, and looked down at the ground.

"Want to share it?" Sora asked, and then turned to face her. His heart was pounding aggressively in his chest.

"Sure," Kairi said, grinning. Sora took the star-shaped fruit and split it in half. He handed a piece to Kairi. He held it to his mouth, and Kairi did the same. He bit into the fruit, and the flavors danced on his tongue. It was sweet, but tangy at the same time. Its refreshing juices spread inside his mouth. He finished his piece and smiled at Kairi. She licked her lips and looked over at Sora blissfully. His hand crept over to hers, and he held it gently. Their shoulders were touching slightly, and their faces were just inches apart. Sora slowly leaned towards her, his eyes slowly closing, and she did the same. Their lips touched softly, and they stayed there for a moment. Kairi's lips were smooth and soft, just the way Sora had imagined. It was a short, modest kiss, but full of passion all the same. They broke apart slowly, and their eyes opened. They smiled at each other, and then Kairi nonchalantly rested her head on Sora's shoulder, and they dazed off into the sunset.

* * *

Well I hope you enjoyed that one! It was alot shorter, and I didn't take much time to edit it, so if there are any mistakes, I'm sorry! I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this story, so let me know if you wnat me to. Thank you! 


	3. Ch 3

Hey, it's Sarah! Well, this will be the last chapter in this series. The series will basically fill in the gap between the ending of Kingdom Hearts II, and the ending that appears after the credits in Kingdom Hearts II. Please enjoy, and I know the last chapter was really short, so I'm sorry about that!

**Oathkeeper-**** Ch.**** 3**

Sora awoke in his bed, with pleasant thoughts of the night before. He remembered what had happened between him and Kairi. It felt unreal, like a distant dream. He knew in his heart that it _was_ real, and he smiled at the thought of him actually kissing Kairi. He was so bold the night before, so daring. It surprised Kairi and even himself. He leisurely swung his legs over his bed, and hopped out.

It was a beautiful morning, the sun was out and it was frosty, but refreshing. It was low-tide on the beach, and the waves were far away from where he stood. He ran to the shore, and sat down, as always, waiting for Riku and Kairi. The water was clear, and the waves were very small at the moment. He could see little fish swimming around in it. Riku was the first to arrive. He plopped down gruffly beside Sora. Riku was obviously not an early riser, but he had promised to meet them on the shore today.

"So," Riku said while rubbing his eyes. "What are we doing today?" He flicked his silver hair back and turned to Sora.

"I was thinking that we could take our boats out and ride around the island for a while." Sora rested his back on the sand and gazed up into the baby blue sky.

"Yeah. That sounds good." Riku agreed. It was relaxing, and that's just what he needed at a time like this. Kairi appeared a few minutes later. She stomped her way through the sand, and sat down next to Sora.

"Sorry I'm late." She huffed. She turned her head to face Sora, and smiled. "Let's go." The three made their way to the docks, and each untied their row boat. Once they were free, they rowed out and into the ocean. They were all lined up, and rowing at the same speed. Kairi lifted her paddle up and out of the water, which splashed Sora.

"Hey!" Sora giggled, while wiping his face.

"Oh, sorry." She lifted her paddles out of the water, and set them inside her boat. She stretched out her hand, and set it in the water. Her hand drifted alongside of the boat, leaving small indents on the water's surface. Sora brought his paddles inside the boat as well, and laid down inside of it. Riku continue forward, rolling his eyes at the two. Sora and Kairi's boats slowed down, so that they were just drifting with the current.

"Kairi…" Sora started nervously. "About last night…" Sora sat up in his boat and looked Kairi in the eye. She had a slight smile on her face, and her gray-blue eyes had a twinkle in them. "I-I…" Sora stuttered, not knowing what to say next. He had to at least acknowledge the fact that they had kissed. _He had to._ He couldn't just pretend it didn't happen anymore.

"You don't need to explain anything Sora." Kairi said. Sora ran his fingers through his chocolate-colored hair. "It was great."

_It was great._ This ran through Sora's mind several times. She had _enjoyed_ it. Did it mean that she felt the same way? Well, she _did_ kiss him. That had to mean something. But still, Sora couldn't shake that last bit of doubt.

"That's exactly why I wanted to bring it up." Sora mustered up the courage to say. "It was great, so I don't want to go on as if it never happened. I don't want everything to stay the same. I don't want to be _just_ friends. Kairi, I gave up my heart for you. I'd do it again if I had to… I-I-I… love you." Sora, realizing what he had just said, broke his gaze from Kairi, and looked to the floor of his little row boat. What was wrong with him? He was so upfront. They weren't even "together" and he had just confessed that he was in love with her. A few awkward moments went by. Sora started to think that she wasn't going to say anything.

"Sora, I-" Kairi began, but then paused. "I love you too." Sora was filled with joy. This was the best feeling he ever had in his whole life. _She loved him back._ It was amazing.

Sora's boat slowly started drifting away from Kairi's. Sora perked up, noticing this.

"Kairi!" He called from his boat. "Give me your hand!" She obeyed, and they pulled their boats next to each other again. Their hands remained together, and they skimmed the water lightly. Sora leaned in, and kissed her again. It was their first kiss as a couple, which made it even more enjoyable. They broke apart, and they both grinned intensely.

"I wonder how far ahead Riku is." Kairi said lightly, while tucking a piece of burgundy hair behind her ear.

"We should probably go back now; he must be at the docks." The two started rowing their way back to the docks. The sun was up high in the sky, and it was mid-afternoon. As suspected, Riku sat on the edge of the docks with his legs dangling off the edge. Once Riku was spotted, Sora paddled his boat over to him. "I dare you to jump." Sora challenged him.

"No." Riku said plainly.

"Come on." Sora said, while tugging at his foot. Riku laughed and held on to the dock. Sora pulled harder, causing Riku to grasp onto one of the wooden poles that were meant for boats to be tied to. Kairi had secured her boat, and was walking up behind Riku. She pushed him from behind, causing him to lose his grasp on the pole. He flew into the water, and grabbed onto to the edge of Sora's boat, tipping it over. Sora bobbed up to the surface to find Riku and Kairi laughing. He splashed Kairi, mainly because she was the only dry one of the three.

"Hey!" she yelled while still laughing. Sora swam his boat over to the dock and tied it. He then climbed up onto the wooden planks behind Kairi. Kairi ran down the docks to get away from Sora. Sora came closer to her, trapping her between the water and himself.

"No!" She laughed. She was trapped. There was no way she was coming out of this dry. He hugged her tightly, and kissed her on the cheek. He leaned forward, still connected, and they fell into the water together, much like two nights ago.

"Did I miss something?" Riku asked, after spotting the kiss Sora had planted on her check. Sora and Kairi just smiled at each other.

They swam in the cool water for hours, splashing each other and laughing. The day was ending once again, and the third sunset since he returned home appeared over the horizon. They dried themselves off, and Kairi and Sora returned to their separate houses. Once Sora had eaten dinner, he went back outside to find Kairi and Riku. He spotted Riku sitting on the paupo tree, and ran across the bridge to the smaller island to join him. Sora hopped over the tree to the other side, and leaned against the tree, putting his hands behind his head. The two stared off into the sunset for a moment.

"Nothing's changed, huh?" Riku asked Sora without looking away from the sunset.

"Nope. Nothing will." Sora replied peacefully. They continued to just daze off into a sky of pinks and purples.

"What a small world." Riku said softly, his hair gently blowing in the wind.

"But part of one that's much bigger." Sora replied gently.

"Yeah." Riku agreed.

"Hey Riku... what do you think it was- the Door to the Light?" Sora asked, remembering how the two had been trapped in the Realm of Darkness. He had found Kairi's message in a bottle, and after he had read it, the Door to the Light had appeared in front if him.

_Thinking of you wherever you are,  
we pray for our sorrows to end,  
and hope that our hearts will blend,  
now I will step forward to realize this wish-  
And who knows?  
Starting a new journey may not be so hard,  
or maybe it's already begun.  
There are many worlds, __but they share the same sky.  
One sky, one destiny. _

Sora remembered Kairi's letter. It had steered him into the light when he was trapped in darkness. Sora turned his head upward to face Riku. Riku hopped down next to Sora and faced him. He let out a small laugh.

"This." Riku answered Sora's question, gently tapping at Sora's heart.

"This?" Sora asked, placing a hand over his heart where Riku's finger had touched moments ago. He looked down, and then back up at Riku.

"Yeah. It's always closer than you think." Riku stared at Sora. Sora smiled softly.

"Sora! Riku!" A loud voice behind them rang them turned around to see Kairi running towards them, waving. She reached them panting, and she stared at the ground tiredly. She was holding something in her hand.

"Hey, what's up?" Sora asked curiously.

"Look." She held up the item in her hand for them to see. It was a message in a clear bottle, with the King's seal on it.

"From the King?" Sora asked, snatching it from her quickly and pulling off the cork with a loud pop. He shook it roughly, until the note fell out. He unrolled it and began to read it. Riku and Kairi crowded around him to see what it said. Time seemed to pause as they read, and the air was crisp. The peace that once filled Sora's heart was gone. The happiness he had in knowing that he was safe had disappeared. He used to think that his stay on the island would be longer, but those thoughts had vanished, too. His life had just gotten a little more complicated. And who knows? Maybe anything could happen.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that chapter! It will be the last of the series. It was a short series, but it was something I wanted to do with my spare time. I've always wondered what had happened in between those two movies, so I decided to write what I think _should _have happened. Thank you for reading! 


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